Press release: Special Advisers need better support and supervision,says new study from Constitution Unit

9 June 2014

The weekend resignation of Fiona Cunningham, Theresa May’s
trusted Special Adviser, provides yet another reminder of how important Special
Advisers are in Whitehall; but also of the inadequate arrangements for their
support and supervision. The need for better support is one of the main
conclusions of a recent study by the Constitution Unit, funded by the Joseph
Rowntree Charitable Trust.

“With almost 100 Special Advisers now working for the
government, they have become an established feature in Whitehall,” said the
Constitution Unit’s director Prof Robert Hazell. “But people still tend
to treat them as transient, undesirable, hoping they might go away. They
won’t. We need to recognise they are here to stay, and move the debate on
to how they can become more effective and more professional in their support for
Ministers”.

To that end the Constitution Unit has produced a new
Handbook, Being a Special Adviser, which is an invaluable guide for
Special Advisers on how to operate in Whitehall. “It is full of practical
tips from recent and current Special Advisers on how to get the best out of the
Whitehall machine” said Prof Robert Hazell. “A new government next year,
with a new cadre of Special Advisers, will need to provide much better
induction and support if they are to hit the ground running. Our Handbook
is designed to do precisely that”.

Notes for Editors

The Constitution Unit
is an independent and non-partisan research centre based in the Department
of Political Science at University College London.